First, it can be useful to check what you are looking for. Do you search for a post-doctoral position? Do you want your conference stay covered? Do you search for a PhD scholarship?

A good starting point is hopefully our overview on this page or other funding databases. Make sure to subscribe to mailingslists, such as cryolist, to stay informed about new calls or open positions. Being on Twitter or other social media and following scientists in your desired field could help too.

In Germany, there are a few foundations that offer PhD scholarships (see above) to which you can apply for funding. When you have a great idea and a professor who doesn’t have an open position, but would supervise you, you can try your luck there. Applications to these foundations normally entail a grant proposal in which you lay out your project idea, explain the theoretical background and proposed methods, show your relevance of your topic and offer a potential time plan of your PhD project.

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Even if you are applying to a grant in e.g. Germany, it does not necessarily mean that your proposal has to be written in German.  As the language of (polar) science is English, most applications allow you to write a proposal in English. It however depends where you apply and you should definitely check the requirements before starting your preparations.

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The reporting period depends on your project and funding agency. For PhD scholarships you likely have to write a progress report every year to get your funding extended. Some other agencies, such as the DFG, may additionally ask you to participate in a workshop presenting your work to other people. In structured PhD programs you might have a panel meeting every 6 months, but in most cases your funding does not depend on the meetings then.

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